Prologue: A Cinematic Dream in Brass
In 1963, Leica and Schneider joined forces like Lennon and McCartney, birthing the Super-Angulon 21mm f/3.4—a lens that redefined wide-angle photography. Priced today between 800–800–1,600 (2025 USD), this 280g chrome-and-brass marvel weighs less than a vintage typewriter yet packs the visual punch of an IMAX screen. Forget modern aspherical beasts—this lens is a 1967 Ford Mustang in a world of Teslas: raw, charismatic, and utterly irreplaceable.
Design: Bauhaus Meets Hollywood
- Miniature Titan
- Body: Machined brass—dense as a Tolstoy novel, compact as a Zippo lighter. Smaller than Leica’s 35mm “8-Element,” yet wider than your imagination.
- Focus Throw: 180° sweep from 0.4m to ∞—a street photographer’s tango.
- Schneider’s Secret Sauce
- Born from Schneider’s cine lens DNA (think Cinegon series), it’s the Marlon Brando of optics—unconventional, intense, and dripping with character.
Optical Alchemy: Painting with Light
| Aspect | Super-Angulon 21mm f/3.4 | Modern 21mm f/1.4 ASPH |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpness | Hemingway’s prose—direct yet soulful | GPT-4 precision |
| Contrast | Film noir shadows | Instagram filter |
| Bokeh | Butter churned by monks | Margarine from a factory |
| Magic | 🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥 | 📱 |
- f/3.4 Wide Open: Center sharpness cuts like a samurai sword; edges dissolve into Monet’s brushstrokes.
- Color Rendering: Blues deeper than the Mediterranean, greens richer than Bavarian forests—Kodachrome reborn.
- Black & White: Tri-X film + this lens = Ansel Adams meets Fritz Lang. Microcontrast so rich, you’ll taste the grain.
The “Four Miracles”
- 0.4m Focus: Get closer than a paparazzo—backgrounds melt into buttery swirls, turning streets into Scorsese scenes.
- Flare as Flavor: Uncoated glow paints halos like Renaissance angels. Backlight? Call it free Kubrick lighting.
- Vignetting: Embrace the dark corners—they’re not flaws, but cinematic vignettes.
Film vs Digital: Two Lovers
- Film Romance
- On Kodak Ektachrome, it’s 1960s National Geographic meets Wes Anderson—saturated yet subtle.
- Digital Sorcery
- On a Leica M11, disable corrections—let its quirks sing. Purple fringing? Call it “free psychedelic filter.”
Who Needs This Lens?
✓ Cinephiles with Cameras: Chasing Godfather-era gravitas
✓ Street Shamans: Who see alleys as movie sets
✓ Contrarians: Preferring vinyl crackle over Spotify HD
Avoid If: You pixel-peep, hate vignettes, or think “autofocus” isn’t cheating.
Final Verdict: The Unkillable Icon
The Super-Angulon 21mm f/3.4 is photography’s gateway drug—once you taste its cinematic brew, modern glass feels sterile. For the price of a Rolex Oyster, you gain:
- A time machine to photography’s golden age
- Proof that “flaws” can outshine clinical perfection
- Bragging rights at camera clubs (“Mine glows under UV light”)
Rating:
🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️ (film poets) | 📸📸📸🤍🤍 (zoombies)
“A lens that whispers: ‘The world is wider than you think—let me show you.’”
Pro Tips:
- Flare Hack: Remove the hood—let its blue halos channel Blade Runner vibes.
- Film Pairing: Ilford HP5+ @1600—grain dances with its glow.
- Focus Zen: Zone-focus at 1m—street scenes snap into focus like fate.
Epilogue: The Wide-Eyed Rebel
Leica’s modern ASPH lenses may rule the charts, but the Super-Angulon remains stubbornly 1963—a brass-knuckled rebel whispering: “True artistry thrives in imperfection.” As Hitchcock proved, drama lives in the edges. Now go frame your world wider.
Filter: 48mm UV, VII. Hood: 12501 Front cover: 14102 Rear cover: 14042 Stock: less than 6000. Focus lever: metal crescent focus lever. Minimum focusing distance: 0.4m
